Love Never Dies. (Draco Malfoy Fan Fiction) (Watty Awards 2013 Winner)

Chapter 42: Patronus Charm.

A/N: Hi everyone, sorry for this really short chapter. I hope you'll like this one anyway. I promise the next one will be much longer. Thank you so much for the 10,000 reads! It certainly made my day. Please keep voting and commenting! Thank you x

It was around five thirty when I woke up, two hours from the usual waking time of all students. I reckoned that Draco would be still asleep. Climbing out of bed carefully, I change into my uniform and wash up. I take my wand with me just in case and slither silently out of my dormitory and tiptoe out of the common room to the unwelcoming corridors. I make my way to Snape's office where I knock the door before stepping in. Snape was standing beside his barren desk with his wand in his hand. "Sir?"

"Miss Farrell, yes. I'm sure you are wondering why I summoned you here this early morning without Draco," he said. "Dementors will be summoned here to defend the castle of intruders in a few days. I am sure you know the effects Dementors have on people?" I nod apprehensively. "I find that you are very different from the other death eaters for you have a cousin who is a muggleborn? I sense that you are very much like me." What?! I'm very much like Snape?! No way, my hair wasn't oily and gross and I didn't wear a black cloak that was like a wedding dress. "As you should already know... I am able to cast a Patronus, unlike all the other death eaters. Your soul... Seems to be purer than others and I thought that perhaps you could cast one as well." 

"But sir, aren't Patronuses very hard to produce?" I ask, bewildered.

"Yes, they are indeed but with enough practice you should be able to cast a full-bodied Patronus," he said that like it was a task similar to boiling water. 

I nod before he continues. "We should begin. Firstly, I want you to focus on a happy memory, one that fills you up, one that will lighten your mood instantly." I shut my eyes and think of the happiest memory I've had. There were many with Draco in them, then there was that one when I got my first wand from Ollivander's. I remembered how I felt so excited about casting spells and charms and using my wand as a tool and as a weapon. I let myself remember every detail of that moment and I bring myself back into that moment when my hand was still gripping the wooden stick. 

"And I want you to say, Expecto Patronum." I raise my wand and said the incantation. A bright light shot up from my wand and opening my eyes, I could see a cloud of silky smoke billowing from the tip of my wand. A smile couldn't help but escape my lips. "Well done," was all he said before he asked me to do it again. I repeated the actions for about three times until I was drop dead tired. 

Snape asked me to repeat it one last time but I was already exhaused beyond measure. I recall the moment the first time my wand touched my fingers and happiness was beside me. I open my eyes and saying the incantation, a silver phoenix bursts from the tip of my wand. My eyes widen in astonishment as it soars around the boundaries of the room and eventually fades into the background. 

"Excellent," Snape says. "Your soul is still... pure. You're still pure in heart, in mind. I hope you don't mind but are you... in anyway resisting the Dark Lord or finding yourself inclined to help Potter and the others?" 

What?, I thought. How safe was his mind? He is... After all... One of the Dark Lord's best servants. How safe could his mind possibly be? 

"Sir, I - " I was about to continue when he cut me off rudely. 

"It does not matter if you are willing to tell me or not. I was merely curious," he said before he turned back to his table where he looked at me with his jet black eyes. "Expecto Patronum" And a silver doe sprang from his wand, galloping around the room before vanishing into the background.

"Sir, how are we able to cast patronuses? I thought death eaters couldn't cast them," I ask, half of curosity as to how pure Snape really was, half of genuine curosity.

"Take a seat, Rachel," Snape gestured at the leather chair where I sit at the edge. I was getting jumpy. "There is a reason why you and I are able to cast patronuses. I can only guess the reason for you and that is you're finding yourself drawn to good and floating away from the evil. As for myself, I don't see a need for you to know just yet."

"Sir, I hope you don't mind if I ask you another question?" He nods. "What makes a person... pure?"

"There are many, many things that makes someone pure. One is love. Unexplainable love. Another would be alliances and emotions. For you, if you feel a need for the murder of the Dark Lord once and for all, it shows your alliance to the Order or to Potter himself. Many things make one pure but it's also who you really are on the inside. Surely you're not completely evil? I have noticed that you have allowed Potter and friends to slip through your fingers without chasing them after," the look in his eyes were persuading. I wanted to tell him about how I wanted to kill the Dark Lord myself, duel with Bellatrix to kill, but how reliable was he? He was so open about talking about pure souls. But since he was able to cast his very own full-bodied patronus, it clearly says that he does, in fact, have an alliance or preference to something better, something good. 

"Sir, Hermione is my cousin and she's with Potter hunting horcruxes. She's a muggle-born and she still hasn't registered, I'm sure. If Umbridge or the Ministry were to find her..." I trailed off. 

Snape nodded. I didn't want to say to him directly that I wanted Hermione and her friends to be safe. I did, I truly did. "I think it's time for you to go. Draco would be waiting for you. Please do not speak with anyone of our conversation for it is already over."

"Yes, sir," I say before I get up from my chair and leave the room.

I look to my watch. Seven forty-five. Draco should be awake by now. I run along the corridors, the short heel of my shoes hitting the floor created a din. I rushed into the common room and seeing that no one was there, I sigh and throw myself on a sofa and shut my eyes. Waking up in the wee hours of morning wasn't really my thing. I hated early hours and closing my eyes for those few seconds felt like heaven. But my peace didn't last for long. The sound of shoes hitting the stone stairs roused me from my sleep. I turn to see a group of boys clattering their way down their dormitories. Irritating blokes. I shut my eyes again but before five seconds was over, a hand taps my shoulder. I bolt up in annoyance, shooting the person a dark look. 

"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you," his hands were up in the air. His snout-like nose and large forehead told me it was Goyle. One of Draco's friends, I remember. I hardly spoke to him but when I did, our conversations were over quickly mainly because he was interested in very different things from me. 

"What do you want?" I ask in a tone of annoyance. I wanted so badly to fall back asleep.

"Draco told me to tell you that he'll meet you in the Library in ten minutes. He won't be having breakfast," his face wore a mask of worry. I nod at him before he takes off with his group of friends.

I thought I'd might as well go to the Library first. A slow walk would have been nice. I get up from the sofa and walking out of the common room, I stroll towards the direction of the Library. Students were giving me dark glances as I walked past them. I remember the Weasley twins as they walked past me with their sister and Longbottom. One of the twins nodded curtly at me before he stalked off with his brother towards the Great Hall. I reach the Library not long after. 

I enter the restricted section and climbing a tall ladder to reach one of the higher books, I hear a voice from the ground. "I hear you got married," said the voice. I peer down and I see a tall boy with ginger coloured hair. I return to the ground within a few seconds and I see one of the Weasley twins. 

"Which one are you?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows together.

"George."

"What do you want from me?" I ask, clearly annoyed.

"You haven't answered my question," he said curtly.

"Yes I'm married," I say. George's face turned serious. "What?"

He frowned at me. "It's nothing. Why are you here?"

"Why do you keep asking so many questions?" I shoot him a dark look and he almost backs away. "Sorry. I didn't mean it."

"Sorry I bothered you. You're clearly in the middle of something important," he said before he walked away, leaving the Library in a hurry.